It was a summer day, and the temperature was 56 degrees Celsius.
The scorching sun poured down unrestrainedly, distorting the air on the dry land. However, the forest that grew on the ruins showed an unusual and wild vitality as if it did not care about the high temperature.
Indeed, those that did not adapt to the heat would have died a long time ago. The high temperature was normal in the year 2177.
Tang Ling was lying quietly in a clump of ironthorn grass like a cheetah in hiding, quiet and patient.
His target was unusually simple. It was a water source less than a hundred meters in front of him.
The water source was huge. Under the reflection of the sun, it looked like a giant mirror filled with Level 3 drinking water that Tang Ling longed for. Tang Ling calculated that based on his running speed, he could reach the water source in less than seven seconds. He could drink to his heart's content and even take a luxurious bath.
However, life was not that simple. Life was not heaven. If a Level 3 drinking water source could be obtained so easily, it would have been occupied by some other faction in the settlement a long time ago. Tang Ling would not have the chance to stand guard here.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, blurring his vision. All he could see was a group of giant scaled horses drinking quietly beside the water source. They would swing their tails from time to time to chase away the giant gadflies that were as big as fists.
They might seem gentle and even drank water at a moderate pace, but Tang Ling knew very well how scary these mutated scaled horses were. They could break rocks with a single stomp and their scales were hard to penetrate even with bullets. Moreover, these mutated scaled horses might look elegant, but they were actually ruthless. As soon as an unusual creature came within 20 meters of them, they would definitely attack.
Moreover, they were ganging up on him.
Softly and carefully, Tang Ling wiped the sweat off his forehead and licked his dry lips. According to his calculations, if this continued, he would die of dehydration in another 3 hours and 17 minutes.
However, he was not hopeless. After two days of careful observation around the water source, Tang Ling had gained some experience and found the best spot for the water source, so he was confident.
Five minutes later, the group of mutated scaled horses finally had their fill. They neighed excitedly and left together, disappearing into the dense forest not far away.
Right at that moment, a loud rumble came from the northwest direction. It felt like an earthquake, and if there were experienced hunters around, they would be able to tell that it was the sound of a herd of Steel Bristle Boars running.
This was the law of the jungle. The price of killing between races was too high, so they formed some sort of tacit agreement to avoid conflict.
Therefore, this water source was not safe for 24 hours. There would always be dangerous people coming here to drink.
However, Tang Ling moved at that very moment. His tightened calves stomped on the ground and used the tremendous rebound force and explosive speed to dash towards the water source like an arrow.
It was the only chance he could exploit. There was less than a minute between the time the mutated scaled horse left and the arrival of the iron bristle boar, but the iron bristle boar had poor eyesight. It could not see Tang Ling unless it was within a hundred meters of him.
In other words, their terrifying collision would not happen more than a hundred meters away. Based on his calculations, Tang Ling had 56 seconds to get the water.
In less than seven seconds, Tang Ling was already squatting beside the water source. Before he could catch his breath, he took out a big empty bottle and started to pour water into it.
The sun was still scorching hot, and the air was quiet. Tang Ling curled his lips into a smile. Two days of hard work is finally going to be over … However, at that very moment, a series of rustling noises came from the dense forest. The rhythm was extremely fast.
Could it be? Tang Ling's ears were sharp, so he picked up the sound at the first moment. Shocked, he looked up and saw three 11-meter gigantoid crocodiles less than a hundred meters away from him.
Why are there gigantoid crocodiles? Even though the temperature was 56 degrees Celsius, Tang Ling's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He thought he had grasped everything about this water source after two days of observation, but it seemed like it was all a joke.
At that moment, the gigantoid crocodiles also noticed Tang Ling. The unknown mutation made the crocodiles' eyes sharp. After they locked on to their target, they crawled faster and soon, they were close to the water source.
"These gigantoid crocodiles are definitely small compared to the other mutated crocodiles, but they have sharp eyes and are greedy. As long as it's meat that they can eat, they won't let it go. Once you notice them, the only choice is to stay away from them. " Tang Ling recalled Uncle Zhang's words. Back in the settlement, Uncle Zhang might not be an outstanding hunter, but he was definitely an experienced and encyclopedic hunter.
In an instant, Tang Ling recalled everything he knew about the gigantoid crocodiles. He was faced with two choices: give up on the opportunity before him or continue.
It was a difficult choice to make, but hesitation was often a luxury in this era. When Tang Ling thought of his grandmother and little sister at home, he had already made up his mind.
Splash! The three gigantoid crocodiles dove into the water. In the water, they were much faster than on land. Once they dove into the water, they dashed towards Tang Ling like three heavy cannonballs.
Their eyes glimmered with greed and excitement. The seemingly weak prey did not choose to run away. It seemed like they were destined to have an extra meal that was better than nothing.
That's right, Tang Ling did not give up on the opportunity to get water. Perhaps it was because of fear, but he closed his eyes in such a tense moment.
He behaved like a powerless, greedy person who did not know what to give up.
However, upon a closer look, Tang Ling's lips were moving slightly in an extremely rhythmic manner. If one could hear it, one would realize that he was counting in a soft voice.
This was what Tang Ling relied on to survive in this era. It was a kind of intuition that he called Precise Instinct.
This intuition allowed him to accurately sense the moment danger approached and react in advance.
It was because of this that Tang Ling was able to shoulder the heavy burden of life in this era at such a young age.
"One, two, three …"
A gust of hot wind blew from the Tieji Grassland not far away, ruffling the hair on Tang Ling's forehead. The cold sweat on his forehead had somehow dried up. His right hand that was in the water was unusually stable. Occasionally, a larva the size of a thumb would swim past his hand, but it did not affect the stability of his hand at all. Even the angle at which he was drawing water did not change.
"Four …"
At that moment, Tang Ling was less than 30 meters away from the gigantoid.
"Five …"
In the last dozen meters, one of the gigantoid at the front had already widened its mouth in excitement, revealing its sharp and huge fangs.
"Six …"
Tang Ling shouted. At the same time, he leaped backward. When the bottle in his hand came out of the water, it created a series of sparkling splashes. The splashes reflected the scorching sunlight and shone in a rainbow.
The tremendous inertia pushed Tang Ling back more than three meters before he landed heavily on the ground. His calf, which had been accumulating strength, was slightly twitching because he used too much strength just now.
The dust that he kicked up, the scratches from the hard ground, and even his calf were not a problem. Tang Ling felt nothing. The moment he landed, he did a roll, straightened his body, and fled away from the water like the wind. Kacha!
Kacha! It was at that moment that a bone-chilling noise came from behind Tang Ling. It was the sound of two rows of iron-like teeth clashing against each other. Tang Ling was still less than two seconds late, so the Mega-Toothed Crocodile that was charging at the front missed its target.
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